Brother
by Starlit Skyline
Summary: "There are better things to do than mourn over a pyromaniac, you know? If you reach out, there's no guarantee you'll get your hands on anything." They were brothers, he was the one to give up, in the end "You can't save everyone." one-shot, YxA


I've wanted to write a Shaman King fic for ages, so here it is!

Disclaimer: why does FanFiction even have this thing? It's 'FanFiction'!

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It wasn't often to see a person set foot in the eerie forest on the outskirts of Funbari Hill, but, then again, most things that weren't supposed to happen – did. Why did they happen? Most don't have a clue, and so, most didn't pay much mind to the boy who made his way through the forest every day.

The boy, fifteen at the time, continues his path, undisturbed. Hours later he emerges on the other end of the forest, a somber mood opposing his usual, carefree one. But before he arrives back home, the smile is back on his face and he pushes all heavy thoughts aside.

"Where've ya' been Yoh? Ryu made dinner half an hour ago!" was Horo Horo's greeting.

"Sorry, went a little off course." was Yoh's answer.

"Slacker." Anna snaps "You went to the graveyard to take a nap didn't you?" she adds in a voice that tells Yoh that it isn't an accusation, it's a conviction.

Yoh suppresses a cringe. Yes, he had visited a grave, but it was not in the graveyard. Yoh says nothing, eyes losing their usual mirth slightly. Anna takes no notice of it as her eyes remain firmly on her book.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again, idiot." she barks, not even spearing him a glance.

"Yes Anna." The words make him feel like he's already married.

...

"There are better things to do than mourn over a pyromaniac, you know?" the words are unexpected, almost unwanted, _"Training_ would be easier if you stopped tripping over your feet and actually paid attention." the face of his fiancé looms over Yoh as he lays under the blossom tree in the garden. He continues to stare at the branches and the azure sky above them, his stare is blank, unseeing, but he can't quite find it in himself to ignore her.

Anna sighs, "You do realize not everyone can be saved?" he probably doesn't, she knows he's simply too caring, she knows the hollowness that comes after "If you reach out, there's no guarantee you'll get your hands on anything."

The irony of the statement is not lost to them.

...

They were growing apart, there was no denying it. The unbreakable chains of friendship were becoming loose threads. Horo Horo and Pirika, as well as Ren and Jun, had all gone back to their homes. Faust went back to Germany to resume his work as a doctor and the rest had simply gone their separate ways.

The Funbari Onsen Inn was empty save for its' five occupants. Yoh, Anna, Manta, Ryu and Tamao were the only ones left, even the Hanagumi had gone off into the world. Slowly but surely, even those bonds were coming undone.

...

Yoh was never a big fan of school, not because it was an utter bore, no, that was only a small part of the reason. The other part being the people had to share a classroom with.

"Hey weirdo!" a boy yells as he and two other teens approach him "Saw ya' talking to yourself yesterday. Ya' crazy or something?" the boy asks, but from his mouth it's more like a taunt.

Yoh doesn't answer, he's used to this by now.

The other boy, apparently the leader of the small band, frowns "Ya' deft or somethin'?" he sneers and Yoh does his best not to react. He's used to it by now.

But it still hurts.

...

He missed the bus, not that he takes it very often, but it's raining cats and dogs today. Yoh jogs, quickening his pace so his bag and the precious notes within them won't get wet. Yoh usually doesn't care for such trivial things, but Manta had asked him if he could take some of his notes to the Inn since the short boy had extra-credit classes after school.

So, there was Yoh, running like a maniac in the downpour in the empty streets of Tokyo while carrying his best friend's work. There aren't many people out, and those unfortunate to be are quickly making their way to their homes. Yoh pays them little mind as he jogs past them.

Suddenly, Yoh trips – or rather, someone trips him.

"Well lookie, lookie," someone says in an overly sweet and taunting voice as they tower over him. But Yoh isn't interested in them in the slightest, his attention is solely on the notes that had fallen out of his bag and onto the wet pavement – soaking wet and ruined. "What freak-show do we have here?" the snide voice inquires, and Yoh finally looks up at the person who caused this disaster.

The boy frowns "Whatcha starin' at, loser?" Yoh realizes it's the same boy from class, from the other day. The boy bends down, picking a note with Manta's scribbled handwriting. The ink was beginning to smear, words blurring together in inky-black stains, but it could be saved if Yoh got it out of the rain.

"Ya' want this?" the burly boy asks as he waves the paper in front of Yoh's face. Yoh sends him a glare, but before he can do anything the paper is already thorn in two. "Ooops," the boy exclaims, but there's a wide grin adoring his face. "That'll teach you to talk when spoken to!"

And with that, the boy lands a punch to Yoh's yawn. Yoh, being completely taken off guard topples to the wet ground once more, now soaking wet as well.

...

He's sick. Sick because of that stupid, arrogant _human_, that pushed him in a puddle yesterday. All of his muscles ache when he tries to move, even Anna had taken pity on him and spared him the days training. But he still had to go, still had to be there.

And he was, the mud and leaves crunching under his sandals as he made his way to his destination. He strayed of the forest path after a while, but the space between the trees was so well memorized that he could have counted it as if it was marked.

After a few minutes, Yoh arrives in an empty clearing – but it isn't completely empty. On the northern edge, under a majestic blossom tree sits a gravestone, carved by Yoh's own hands.

_Hao Asakura, _it reads _a person the world never knew._

It was short, Yoh knew. And he wants to write something else, something that would make both him and the person lying inside the grave understand.

There are no words.

...

Yoh never stopped running, though there was nothing to catch up to, he was already late.

...

He'll be twenty one soon; he has just one more month until then. So his family decides to come and celebrate. Soon he would be married to Anna. It's a dream come true... or maybe not.

Keiko stares at him at dinner, Makihisa and Kino aren't even there and Yohmei simply eats in silence. This was _not_ how Yoh had imagined a family gathering.

Opacho, who he and Anna had adopted a few month after becoming adults, sat stiffly, opposite the Asakura family. Her eyes downcast and focusing only on the meal, she'll never let _him_ go. The fact that most of Yoh's family viewed her with disdain and slight disgust for 'conspiring' with Hao, never mind that Opacho would be dead if Hao hadn't saved her, wan't helping. How was she going to feel accepted, to realize that Yoh was trying to give her a home, when his family constantly reopened old wounds? She was angry at the world, angry at the Asakuras, for taking the person she cared about most from her. That's why Yoh had taken her in, because Opacho was lost without her Hao-sama.

He owed it to his twin, his _brother_, to preserve the good he had done.

...

Yoh sneaks out that night, like many nights before this one, and certainly, many nights to come. He goes to Hao's grave, sits right in front of it so he's at eye level with the words carved into the stone. And, like all those nights before, he begins to talk about his life and ends up pouring his heart out to a person who probably isn't listening.

...

Opacho never sticks around the house if she can help it, either she's at school or her own, secretive place. But she's always there to watch Yoh train, he doesn't really understand why, when he asked her about it, her reply was "You're getting stronger, but you're also getting weaker," she didn't elaborate, but Yoh got the feeling she knew what she was talking about.

He could almost see his brother's reflection in her dark eyes. "Be strong, but not for yourself." almost, but he only finds his own.

...

"What do you mean? Didn't you send the invitations?" Anna asks, bewildered, as she stares at her fiancé. It was a week since Yoh's family, or rather part of it, arrived. They hadn't sent invitations to their friends, Yoh's grandfather, Yohmei, had wanted his grandson to have a small, traditional wedding with only his relatives present.

Yoh wasn't too happy about it, but then again, no one asked _him_ what he wanted. Surprisingly, he got his way in the end. Now that the invitations were sent, his friends would definitely come, and there was no stopping it. Yoh would get the reunion he had been wanting for years.

It made him happy, still, he couldn't help but wonder who had sent the letters.

...

As the seasons pass, so do the years. Life goes on while others vanish.

He has a son now, five years old and so do his friends. They had renewed their relationships while arranging various marriages and having children of their own.

Most were little and sweet and they would come to the Funbari Inn more often. Practically lived there with their families.

Opacho had grown up into a moody teenager, avoiding people as much as she could, she couldn't. She was usually the one stuck babysitting when everyone went out, and Yoh made sure the girl always had company.

That didn't mean she wasn't lonely.

So on her fourteenth birthday he takes her to the grave. She walks after him silently, the only sound echoing in the forest was the one of overgrown grass against fabric.

When they arrive, they stand there for moments long as eternity itself. Until Opacho walks stiffly over to the gravestone, eyes downcast as she stares at it. Yoh thinks how she's about to cry and turns to leave so she can set her tear free. She calls him back.

"What is this?" she asks in a cold voice.

Yoh is surprised by her reaction and hastily makes his way toward her and the gravestone. What he reads leaves him speechless.

_Mappa Douji_

_Demon child, demon himself – may you forget us both_

...

Time stops for no one, it is a fact, not a saying.

It will do in your favor at the start, and you will prosper and grow as it passes, but it will be your downfall and you will meet your end because of it.

Yoh, extraordinary as he was in life, is no exception.

Ironically, he can't even remember how he died. He had lived a long life, seen his son get married and have his own family, yet he couldn't put a number on those years.

Yoh takes with him all the good, and all the bad, that had been part of his life. There's only one thing, one person, he doesn't want to leave behind though. It isn't his wife, or his son, but someone who hasn't even been there throughout the years.

"I didn't forget you." He states. After realizing he had become a spirit, he hadn't gone to his family, not his wife or son, but here. Here, where he had spent so much of his time, so much of his life, dwelling.

The wind blows, "Show yourself!" Yoh bellows with it. There is no answer and all is quiet for a while. Yoh scans his surroundings until movement catches his eye. His brother emerges from behind the blossom tree, the one under which lie his grave. Yoh's eyes go wide, and he stares before a small smile makes his way onto his face.

The stars shine brightly over them, illuminating the old headstone, but Yoh doesn't need to look at it anymore, not now when his brother is right in front of him. The person he had wanted so desperately to meet again was standing right in front of him!

"Have you been sitting behind that tree all these years?" he doesn't say 'hiding', but they both know it's what he really wanted to ask.

His twin returns the smile, and it's equally sad _"You never did care to look." _Hao's voice is softer than Yoh remembers and he relishes the sound that he hasn't heard in such a log time.

Yoh was happy beyond words, he couldn't believe it! Hao was there! He had the chance to finally talk to him, no running or lies. He could say...

Yoh shakes the though away, he wants to be happy now, to enjoy this long-awaited meeting. Yoh was afraid he wouldn't get his chance, that he would move on and Hao would still be trapped in the cycle of resurrection. He was afraid, terrified of that prospect, because Hao was the only one he couldn't save. But his biggest fear was that he might forget, but he wouldn't.

"How are you here?" Yoh asks after a while. They've both been staring at each other, like seeing one another for the first time.

"_You wanted me to be here." _is Hao's reply, it's simple, but they both understand. Yoh heart leaps at the words and he feels teardrops at the edges of his eyes. They're tears of joy and Yoh doesn't want them to turn sour, but he has to ask.

"So... do you still plan massive destruction and murder?" he didn't want to ask it straight away, but he had to know. It would hurt, he knew, but he had done things that had to be done, and often regretted it. Still, he couldn't leave with these questions still unanswered.

Hao tilts his head, his eyes mirroring a deep sadness _"Duty over self, you were always like that." _he states quietly.

Yoh looks away then, because the comment only served to reopen old wounds, ones that refused to heal even now "Do you?" his voice is quiet and there is an undercurrent of suppressed emotions screaming to break free.

There is silence, Yoh feels a suffocating fear that his twin might not answer. Suddenly, there is a shuffling sound. Yoh looks up, afraid that Hao might be leaving.

But Hao is still there, he had only taken a few steps towards Yoh, hesitance obvious in his movement. Hao stopped a few paces from Yoh, unwilling or unable to reach closer. His eyes are downcast, unreadable even from the short distance separating him and his brother.

"_Why would I?" _he asks, voice bitter _"There will always be bad people... but there will be good as well... you made me realize that..." _Yoh has to strain his ears to hear the last part, but it's there - Yoh couldn't believe it! He couldn't believe his brother had actually said them! But they were! He knew that now, after an entire lifetime of wondering, he knew!

Yoh's joy radiates off of him and Hao smiles hesitantly. He doesn't know how much the motion means to his brother.

Another silence followed, each relishing in something they had both accomplished. After a while, Yoh speaks again.

"Opacho misses you..." he said, knowing he should mention his brother's young ward. He knew Hao cared about her, she was there when no one else would, for that, Yoh was grateful to the little girl.

Hao nods, regret filling his obsidian eyes _"I am aware..."_

Hao's voice is sad, but Yoh feels he need to continue. "I miss you..." it needed to be said.

Hao looks up, locking gazes with Yoh, eyes wide with surprise. Yoh knew why, Hao expected to be hated, he didn't dare hope otherwise, if he even had the will to hope. In that moment, a fierce determination was reawakened in Yoh, one to make his brother understand, and for himself to understand as well "I..." Yoh's tone is unsure, hesitant and he has absolutely no idea what to say, or how to say it "I'm sorry..." he stutters out finally, averting his gaze from his twin. Hao continues to stare "I always found a way... with everyone... but you... I didn't understand... didn't want to... should've tried harder..." Yoh stammers before his tears fall free and he sinks to his knees, sobbing.

Hao is by him in a second, breaking free of his frozen daze. Hao reaches out for his brothers arm, but hesitates. Yoh has his arms wrapped around himself by now, and he doesn't dare look his twin in the eyes. Hao hates crying, Yoh knows and he doesn't want his brother, the brother that felt like he was meeting for the first time, think any less of him - to think he was weak.

"_Do not forgive to be forgiven; do not beg for what is already yours." _Yoh jumps at the sound of his brother's voice, quiet as it was, in the silence, he might as well shouted it. And indeed, Yoh expected to be scolded and looked upon with disdain and hatred when he met his brother's eyes again – there was none.

Hao's eyes were deep with sadness, but the spark of anger, of hatred, was dim in his obsidian gaze, almost nonexistent.

Yoh couldn't keep the tears from falling even harder and he launched himself at his brother, hugging him as he buries his head in Hao's shoulder. He sobs harder, though the agonizing sound is slightly muffled by Hao's shirt. Yoh clings to his brother, fearing he might disappear if he lets go, fearing his brother might push him away.

Hao doesn't, holding the younger like he had wished someone would have held him in _his_ darkest moments.

For a long time, only Yoh's sobs could be heard, an agonizing sound that echoed thought the trees.

"You're going to Hell..." Yoh chokes out between sobs, clutching the fabric of his brother's shirt as his tears soaked it. It's the final truth, not a question, and it's the one he never wanted an answer for. Hao lets him cry, for he shed tears for both of them.

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That's that, so, what do you think? Constructive criticism is more than welcome!

Please Review!


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